Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers leaned hard into small ball lineups last year, and with some success... until the playoffs rolled around and things got ugly. 
This year, circumstances have made it hard to do much of anything consistently, but with Austin Reaves coming back soon, and Rui Hachimura rounding into form, could they be back in a similar situation? Per Trevor Lane on X, "Small sample size warning, BUT...Lakers are +28.8 per 100 in 255 poss with Rui Hachimura on the court without a center (Ayton/Hayes/Maxi). An ultra-switchy foundation featuring some combo of LeBron/Rui/Vando (call whoever you want the 5) with Luka/Smart/LaRavia has noticeably ramped up their defensive pressure and floor spacing."
There are a lot of reasons to think the Lakers could thrive, especially in short spurts, with lineups like these. Especially when Austin gets back. But should Lakers fans break out in hives thinking about it, given how everything ended last year? 
Well, context matters. And this year's team is, at least right now, better suited to play like this. First, they can go big if they want. Deandre Ayton is wearing on fans, for sure, but he's still a competent NBA center. Jaxson Hayes is significantly better now than he was last year. Even Drew Timme has shown the ability to be useful. Meanwhile, JJ Redick hasn't shied away from using size where he can. Plus, Vanderbilt is playing better, and has more of Redick's trust. Jake LaRavia is establishing himself as a disruptor/energy type. Smart bings some defensive chops the Lakers lacked in the backcourt last year, especially with Dorian Finney-Smith hobbled. 
So it can work, but the key is having a roster where it's not the only choice Redick thinks he has. 
Finally, trade talk. Things have been pretty quiet in the rumor mill, but there are still scattered reports about the Lakers. So what exactly are they doing? 
 
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Small ball is back, baby! 
 
SEGMENT 2: Why this year is different, regarding small ball. 
 
SEGMENT 3: Rumor time. What do the leaks mean about LA's approach? 
 
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It's nice to have one of those guys. 
By that, we're talking about a truly elite player, one who can do just stupid good stuff like drop 46 points on a hyper-efficient 15-25 shooting, while adding 11 assists and seven rebounds. That was Luka Dončić Monday in Chicago, as the Lakers picked up another solid win on this extended road trip, beating the Bulls 129-118. The Lakers fell behind early, but used strong work from Luka and LeBron James (20 first half points) to pull up by 20 before a late Chicago run cut the gap to 13 at the half. 
In the third, the Lakers seemed like they were going to repeat the formula used in Dallas on Saturday, as they allowed the lead to fall all the way down to a single point. But rather than give it up (and then fall behind) the Lakers built it back up, and weren't truly threatened from there. 
Gold stars for Rui Hachimura, as well, who was an incredibly good 9-11 from the floor, including 4-5 from three-point range, en route to 23 points. 
It was easily his best game since returning from injury, and probably his best game of the year to this point. 
Kudos to the Lakers as well for controlling the game by controlling the ball. Only six turnovers, which definitely limited Chicago's ability to put up easy points. (Not that they need much help - the Bulls have a very good attack.) 
On to Cleveland, Wednesday. 
 
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 
 
SEGMENT 1: Luka Dončić, excellent at basketball. 
 
SEGMENT 2: Rui! 
 
SEGMENT 3: Time to worry about Ayton? 
 
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Going back to training camp, may people, including the hosts of this show, have been clamoring for Rui Hachimura to come off the bench, where his skill set -- offensive punch, shooting ability, and so on -- would be better featured. Moreover, putting Rui on the bench also makes it easier for JJ Redick to pair him with the kinds of defenders that can help raise his level and cover his shortcomings. 
And lo and behold, over the last three games, with Rui's minutes restriction seeming to end, the Lakers have had some very positive results in his minutes. 
So is this something they can capitalize on going forward? Now that Rui is capable of playing regular minutes, is Redick going to resist any temptation to put him back in the starting lineup? 
And what happens when Austin Reaves comes back, which should be before the end of this roadie? The Lakers need Austin's scoring, up and down the lineup, and just as important, for him to move other players into slots that suit them better. LeBron shouldn't be asked to put up 25-30 a night. The bench units get better because one more member of the Big Three is available there to play with them. Your last guy in the rotation may not play at all. 
These types of incremental improvements can make a significant difference for a team like the Lakers whose shortcomings are obvious and hard to address. 
 
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 

SEGMENT 1: Rui as a sixth man... is it working? 
 
SEGMENT 2: Why it makes sense for Rui to come off the bench. 
 
SEGMENT 3: What happens when Reaves is back? 
 
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In the first half against the Mavericks in Dallas the Lakers played solid, efficient basketball, led (not surprisingly) by Luka Dončić, who always wants to stick it to his old team. Led by 13 at the half! 
In the third, however, it's like the lights flipped off. They turned the ball over seven times, missed a ton of layups, and were outscored 35-14. It was one of the worst 12-minute stretches of the season. Down 15 with 7:40 to go, the Lakers had a win probability of 1.7%. But then they managed to get the lid off the rim, get a few buckets and turn things up defensively. The Lakers chipped away at the deficit, and used two big Rui Hachimura triples (including one four-point play) to pull even and then ahead. LeBron, who was VERY quiet in the first half, came alive later in the game, including on defense. 
And of course Luka Dončić, who was two rebounds shy of a triple double. 33 points on 8-15 from the floor and 14-15 from the free throw line, plus eight rebounds and 11 assists. It wasn't a flashy game, but it was incredibly effective. 
Luka runs his record to 4-0 against his former team. A solid bounce back from a disappointing performance Thursday against the Clippers. 
 
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 
 
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FanDuel
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Down 26 in the third quarter to the Clippers, it looked like a night where the Lakers, who have a long stretch of (actual) road games coming up, might just want to wave the white flag and let important players get some rest. 
Or... they could put a big comeback together and to close the third, then made a big push into the fourth. The Lakers got to within two, but couldn't close it out. You can be happy the team didn't quit and the fact that they were able to find a way to create momentum certainly makes the loss a little more palatable, but as JJ Redick noted after the game, the Lakers need to do a better job avoiding the type of big drought offensively that got them behind the eight ball in the second quarter, and the variance on the defensive side of things needs to narrow. 
But overall, what looked like it was going to be a disaster turned more into your garden variety bummer of a loss against a big crosstown rival. 
For their part, the Clippers have clearly turned things around, and while they lost too much ground early in the year to contend for a top four spot, it seems pretty likely they'll land in the top 10 and become arguably the scariest play-in team ever. 
Now the Lakers head out into the meat of the Grammy trip, with games coming in Dallas, Chicago, Cleveland, Washington, New York and Brooklyn. Not quite a murderer's row, but six straight NBA road games presents a challenge, no matter the opponents. 
 
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky 
SEGMENT 1: The comeback falls short, Lakers lose to Clippers 112-104.
SEGMENT 2: JJ Redick hints at selfishness, self-interest becoming a thing as the deadline approaches.
SEGMENT 3: LeBron James on the ESPN Report.
 
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If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub

 
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